Day 40 - November 1

Melbourne Cup Day! Dubbed 'the celebration that stops a nation'. They actually made this into a public holiday! Almost all of Melbourne shuts down for this event.

This is what the jockey's are riding for.

I Arrived at Jenn's house at 8:30am for breakfast. Paul cooked up a delicious breakfast for us. After we were done eating, they finished getting ready and then we headed out.

The gangsters of Melbourne and their asian bodyguard.

When we arrived at the Flemington racecourse, Regan, Amber (from Ontario) and Seth had already saved a spot for us. She actually cordoned off a section of the grass with ribbon and tent pegs. It was awesome. 

Enjoying the picnic that Jenn prepped

Wishing we brought chairs too

Amber, Jenn, me!!

A proper picnic

Hoping it's the winner #2 - Karuta Queen

Come on #2!!!

#2 lost. Oh the disappointment

Best seats in the house!!

Scott Roberts had told me some insider tips. Race 5 - #2 Karuta Queen (is a certainty, according to him), then for Race 7 (this was the main Melbourne cup race) he told me to bet on #9, #17, #18, and for Race 8 - #6 Extra Zero. None of them won.  Booooooo. I want a refund!!

Race 7 is the main event because $6 million is paid out to the top 10 of the 24 racing horses. The horses parade out in front of everyone before they start race 7. We really did have the best seats in the house, right up to the fence and a couple of feet from the finish line. People were going crazy as the horses galloped by. Lots of cheering!

Lucas Cranach

At First Sight

Moyenne Corniche

Full House

It took the judges a good 5 minutes to decide who won as it was neck and neck with Dunaden and Red Cadeaux. Dunaden won by a horses beard. Good thing the horse didn't shave. It just won $3.6 million with bonuses of $200000. The bonus is split to the owner, the trainer, the jockey, the strapper, the breeder, and the guy who picks up the horses poo. He gets $1.

The winner #3 Dunaden. That's one cocky hobbit.

There was a statue of Makybe Diva (it probably could've been any horse, they all look the same, not that I'm being racist or anything). This was one badass horse. She won the Melbourne Cup 3 times in a row from 2003-2005. She has raked in $14 million in winnings. She was the Wayne Gretzky of all horses, only better looking.

Jenn said that of the 5 sandwiches that she packed, there was 1 upside-down sandwich. Meaning the cheese was at the bottom of the bun as opposed to the top. The first sandwich I took out randomly was the upside-down one. Where was my luck on betting the horses?!

I think it tasted better upside-down

Regan and myself hiding from the rain

After the 7th race, we went to meet up with Hailee and her 3 friends. One of the guys looked really old. Even Paul thought so. He even asked him if he was an old Irish comedian. Not sure where that came from, but it was funny. The guy looked so offended when Paul said he looked 40 years old.

The Melbourne Cup was also about the ladies fashion, specifically their hats. I guess this is like Halloween in some ways for them.

I swear I was taking a picture for their hats.....

The losing jockeys looking to make some money

We left the racecourse and headed to Bar Etiquette for a drink (this was Jenn's and Paul's watering hole). They had $5 pints. It looked like a grungy and homey type of place. There was a back yard with chairs, tables and couches. Apparently there was also an upstairs that looked like a house party.

After the bar I decided to head home. I asked about the bike in front of their house and Paul told me to take it. That was super nice of him. I wonder if he'll think it's stolen when he leaves the house tomorrow. He seemed pretty tipsy at the time.